OSA Newsline - February 27, 2017

The date for the start of the 3% increase due on the main contract for City Agencies and the Housing Authority came this weekend. Thus, many members should see an increase in their next paycheck. It is a good idea to keep a copy of this week’s paycheck to match against the next check for comparison purposes. As always, keep in mind that unforeseen delays occur, so never spend it until you get it.

Our union will be submittig union designation cards to the Public Employment Relations Board this week. We had provided the required showing of support for the Staff Analyst series working at the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority last August.

Thereafter, District Council 37 asked us to include the Transit Management Analyst series and the Assistant Budget Chiefs, so more cards were required, have been obtained, and will now be submitted.

It is a very slow process, but each step takes us closer to a vote.

If you'd like to listen to this week's newsline as an audio file, click on this link:

AUDIO February 27, 2017

OSA Newsline - February 20, 2017

Last week’s meeting between the Organization of Staff Analysts and the Transport Workers Union worked out well. Both unions had examined the claims of MaBSTOA management relating to 89 claimed managerial/confidential employees. The claims, we found, were generally ridiculous.

Alleging that an employee at the Trainee level was making policy for the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority was absurd.

Since both unions have agreed, we will be meeting jointly with the MaBSTOA management. It is our hope that agreement will now be reached with that management on any exclusions, so that the collective bargaining election can be held, starting in mid-March.

There was a second meeting last week, this one with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). Members are aware that some, but not all, of our members were allowed to take advantage of an exam filing reopener after the Administrative exams were given and graded. Since August, we have been in talks with DCAS seeking to allow those excluded from the reopener to be allowed to file as well.

At last week’s meeting, the unions announced our intention to seek relief in court if none is forthcoming through negotiations. We fear that court is now inevitable, due to DCAS’s intransigence.

DCAS had also recently informed us in writing that no final answer keys would be published, now or ever again in the future. Moreover, there was a revised scoring system that appears to have passed twice as high a percentage of Administrative candidates as passed the Associate Staff Analyst exam. We had asked how the Administrative exam had been scored. We have now been told in writing that, this too, is secret.

So, the questions are secret, the answers are secret, and the scoring system is also secret. Yet, we are supposed to accept this somehow. Well, we can’t and we won’t.

If you'd like to listen to this week's newsline as an audio file, click on this link:

AUDIO February 20, 2017

OSA Newsline - February 13, 2017

Last week, we received word from the Personnel branch of DCAS. Of some of the topics we were discussing, we were disappointed on three.

We had asked to understand the scoring system that was used to increase the number of candidates who passed the Administrative Analyst and Manager exams. No, it turns out, six months after we first asked, that scoring system is and will remain secret.

We had asked, also, for copies of the final answer keys to those exams to be made public. Again, we are now informed that those answers will remain secret.

So, the City no longer releases exams and will not release final answer keys and will change scoring systems at will, in total secrecy.

As cititzens we are astonished at their chutzpah. Secret exams, secret answer keys and secret marking systems are not a sign of honest government.

And, wait... there is still more.

As members are aware, some, but not all, candidates for the Administrative exams were allowed to file for either the promotional or the open competitive exam after the exams were given, graded, and lists created.

Some, but not all, candidates who passed one of those tests, were allowed to file for the other exam after they knew they would pass. This was obviously wrong.

The least that could be done to correct this unfair action would be to allow all those candidates left out of the original reopener to now file.

DCAS has now rejected a further reopener. They plan on letting their unfair actions go uncorrected.

The DCAS position was reported to the full Municipal Labor Committee last week. We are not happy.

We will be discussing our next steps with DCAS this week.

If you'd like to listen to this week's newsline as an audio file, click on this link:

AUDIO February 13, 2017

OSA Newsline - February 9, 2017

The City has issued a memo indicating that workers must make every effort to get to work today, despite the snow. Details of their policy can be found in the full memo which you can download at this link:

DCAS Time and Leave Policy for Snowstorm on February 9, 2017

If you have any concerns related to the policy memo, contact the grievance department at the union.

OSA Newsline - February 6, 2017

There was a meeting at the headquarters of the Public Employment Relations Board last Friday.

The MABSTOA management had asked to exempt many of the 538 Analysts and Budget Chiefs involved in that election and that issue should be determined by March 15th

Other than that a tentative schedule for the long-awaited collective bargaining election was laid out. With some luck, the process will start in March and could result in a vote by May of this year.

It has been a long fight to get this vote, but finally it seems to be happening.

OSA is traditionally closed on Lincoln’s Birthday in honor of our favorite President. This will be mostly true this coming Monday as well, but a number of our volunteer organizers will be coming in to campaign since the election is finally approaching.

If you'd like to listen to this week's newsline as an audio file, click on this link:

AUDIO February 6, 2017